Kuroko No Fantasy
by halcyonranhuer
Summary: Taken place in a fantasy world, Kagami and Kuroko will journey to defeat the Generation Of Miracles, who are the rulers of their nations and subsequently, the Demon Lord. Slowly, the mysteries surrounding the fall of the demon nations will finally unravel. But first, will they be able to defeat the GOM in the upcoming Guild Tournament?
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Kuroko No Basuke **

**This fiction was inspired by some drawings of the GOM, Kagami and Kuroko in fantasy outfits. I randomly chanced across them in the internet but really, the artist did a great job. Anyway, please enjoy the story... I hope it's to your liking. **

* * *

><p>This is a story about a strange and certain world filled with boundless opportunities and danger, where the concept of the strong devouring the weak was the only way of survival. It was the very world where demons lived and roamed.<p>

There was an ancient legend, it was passed down from generation to generation. A famous story, where almost every household was so familiar of its content that they could recite it by heart. Perhaps it was it that had forged the ideal 'Hero'.The story goes like this:

"Long ago, it was not humans that ruled. It was the demons that thrived on the plains of this world. The demons established nations and there were seven in total. Humans lived in fear and shrouded among the shadows. One day, five brave and extraordinary humans arose from the shadows and destroyed the demon nations one by one. Taking the crowns of the five nations, they forged even more powerful weapons out of them. They took these weapons and faced the final nation which was the residing area of the strongest demon and defeated him. They chased away the demons which ran to another dimension, parallel to their world. Later, they were crowned kings and each were given their own nation. They rebuild civilisations and they sealed their weapons away to indicate that the war ended and no man may use it for evil."

[As for how the fall of the sixth nation occurred, the account is lost. But people speculated the five heroes fell the sixth nation as well.]

* * *

><p>"Are you Kagami Taiga?"<p>

"Yeah. What about it?"

"I need your help, Kagami-san."

Those were the first words both of them had exchanged. Sky blue eyes firmly interlocked with red, a silent determination reflected beneath the them, despite the monotonous voice he used to express himself. Although Kagami noted that, he still turned down the offer.

"Bug off."

Kagami promised himself that he would never get concerned with the affairs of others again. He had his own goal to accomplish. With that thought, he shoved the other roughly aside before proceeding on his way.

The afternoon was sweltering, so hot to the point that the ground felt as if it was boiling. Kagami was getting annoyed, if it was not due to the severe heat, then it definitely would have been that certain white figure standing at the side and staring at him.

"What?" he growled as he sharpened his broad sword. Honestly, he was at the point of wanting to throw that guy off a cliff.

"I need your help, Kagami-san."

Again, the same voice and the same sentence, which held not a hint of emotion within them. A dull droning noise, as if from a broken radio.

"Try changing your ways to persuade someone." Kagami snapped, immediately standing up and heading to another direction opposite of the boy, hoping that the other would not follow.

Despite the individual's small stature, he was surprisingly quite stubborn and straightforward. He persisted following Kagami throughout the forest and never once let him out off his sight. And when he spoke to Kagami, his voice never seemed to hit another pitch, loudness and speed. Furthermore, he lacked presence. Hence the times when he came to talk to Kagami had seemed to be sudden appearances, like a ghost. Another factor which contributed to wearing off Kagami's thin thread of patience.

Half a day had gone by and Kagami had already exhausted whatever patience or morales he could muster. If that darn bastard happen to be beside him, screw moral ethics, he would cut of his little head and then-

"Kagami-san." The said person nearly jumped out from his armour in fright. He was not getting used to this anytime soon.

"You...little... I said NO. Which part of 'no' did you not understand?!"

"Please Kagami-san." This time, the voice held a bit of emotion; a little of distress and desperation. Kagami turned to look at the boy. As he had been avoiding him for the whole day, he had not really seen how the boy actually looked like.

That boy had soft baby blue hair, in which he had a white shawl draped over it. He was also pale, his soft skin on a fairer tone than most and it was further emphasised by the white outfit he was clad in, with intricate patterns neatly embroidered at the ends of it. He was also wearing gloves, made out of rare silk like material and it covered his arms, nearly to his shoulders.

Everything about him was the exact opposite of Kagami. Kagami was a warrior of renowned strength and skill. His black and red armour was forged from the strongest dragon scales and elements. Skinned tanned and muscles toned after being exposed to long and harsh travels. His gloves were of the toughest leather and the scratches on his shield and broad sword reflected the countless battles experiences he had. The boy on the other hand, looked like he could be broken into two by a swing of a wooden sword.

"I'm sorry. But I have my own business to deal with. I didn't come from the West for nothing."

"And may I inquire what would that task be?"

"I'm here to defeat demon lord." Kagami announced, before recalling that he should have kept his mouth sealed. Often, his tendency to loose words had gotten him into quite a bit of trouble. He quickly added in, "You may think that I am mad. However the rumours are true. It has been revived."

"Our aims are but the same. However my route to him will prove faster than yours."

Kagami stared at the other for a moment and then narrowed his eyes a little. "What do you mean? You are the first one I've met to actually believe in the revival of the demon lord. "

The boy seems to paused for moment, as if trying to contemplate what to say. "I need you to help me stop the 'Generation Of Miracles' and after that the demon lord. With my current strength, I cannot be able to go against them. However when I saw you fighting at the colosseum... I knew you can stand against them..." The boy ranted, but while he did, he remained looking down; the white shawl draping over his face a little.

Kagami nearly reeled back in shock. The generation of miracles?! They are the current heads of the five nations and they had equally similar skills to what the previous five saviours had. Furthermore they were barely twenty and yet were perfected in at least a single art of weaponry. In short, they were prodigies and hence the people termed them the 'Generation Of Miracles'.

To fight people of such high caliber surely is a challenge and a honor, Kagami smiled, he had always wanted strong, powerful people he could truly go against. However something struck him as well. They were rulers of the land. Why would this (weak) boy even want to go against and beat them? What did they have to do with the current revival of a demon lord?

Being an impulsive person, the question already flew out from his mouth. "How are these great people connected to the demon lord?"

"That is a secret." the boy replied, somewhat causally. "Will you please accept it? Your reward will be plentiful."

Kagami was slightly surprised by the boy's curt reply. After all, he had been polite till now. It was suspicious no matter which angle he tried to look at. This boy, who scouted high and low for him, pleading him all day to help him but kept eventually quiet when questioned his motives.

"What if I say yes...?"

"Then details of the quest will be given. I will tell you how the Generation Of Miracles are related to the revival of the demon lord of the seventh Kingdom and yes, I assure you that there will be rewards."

Alright. That was it. The reward did not matter much to him anyway, he just wanted to quickly get to the demon lord. And right now, he actually had a way to get to it. The boy did not seem to be lying ever. Even if he kept secrets now, Kagami had learnt that the quest would soon unravel the truth. He grinned, the Western Guardians had finally opened the door for him.

"I will go. However you know my name..." He knew he didn't have to finish his sentence for the other to understand what he was trying to convey.

The boy then hesitated a moment, blue locks caught in the sudden breeze.

"Kuroko Tetsuya. My name is Kuroko Tetsuya."

This was the day of a destined meeting, people whose fate was more than ordinary.

"Nice to meet you, midget."

* * *

><p><strong>Thank you for reading! Please pardon me for any grammatical errors.<strong>

**Please review:)**


	2. Chapter 1: The Knight and The Summoner

**Thank you for the reviews, follows and favorites everyone!**

**As for the answer to Kiki2000's questions, I will update according to my schedule. It is quite irregular, but I promise it will be up by max. 2 weeks if anything goes wrong. Now that I am free, I can update every few days ^^****As for pairings... I honestly forgot about them when I was typing this story (I am so sorry, my otps). So I will leave it to the reviewers! If not, the story will remain just as it is. **

**Sorry for the rant, please enjoy it! And then if you can, please review as well:)**

* * *

><p>Kagami had realised that not only he, but all the people they had came across so far had failed to see Kuroko. He was not exaggerating on this fact. Many times during their travel, he would whip his head around to find the fragile creature missing and only for him to reappear beside suddenly in a few seconds.<p>

Kuroko was unfazed over this fact. Furthermore, he had realised that the other had an unexplainable sort of attraction towards vanilla milkshake. He had ordered that for every meal when in a village and another two for what Kagami would determine as break time and another when they had left the village,

Kagami sighed. Kuroko was also too quiet. Not that he minded travelling in quiet; he actually preferred his companion to not be too noisy, but Kuroko was the eerie sort of quiet. He had seemed like a ghost at times, like his existence was wavering on this world.

"Kagami-san." The red haired man was jolted out of his train of thoughts.

"Please pay attention to what I'm saying." Kuroko said, with a small expression that seemed like a frown. "The villagers had warned us that mysterious disappearances often lay ahead on this road."

Kagamine nodded absently as he drew his broad sword. He could sense the evil lurking behind the forest tree's shade, "However," he growled, "those disappearances were the handiwork of demons."

"Kagami, are you a knight?" Kuroko questioned as he saw the other firming his grip on the sword.

"I am. You can see that I carry a broad sword. People who carry heavy weapons are often from the West." Kagami spoke as they entered a dark area, where light was filtered by the many twisted branches that extended high above. The forest air was deathly still and there were strange chatters among the leaves. When they turned back, Kagami found the only entrance being lapped over by black creepers (vine like plants without a firm stem).

"What a trap." Kagami laughed in a dull tone. He then turned to the other who stood behind him. "You should stay back. I cannot ensure your safety."

Kuroko frowned at the last statement. "Kagami-san, I can fight." He replied defensively.

"Huh? But-" before Kagami could finish his sentence, one of the trees suddenly extended its branches. If not for his fast reflexes, his face could be by well now torn into half by the sheer force of the attack.

"Never heard of tree demons." Kagami grumbled as he took his stance.

"Not tree demons. That demon has the ability to possess. I think it affected this part of the forest." Kuroko observed. "Be careful, Kagami-san. You would not want this thing to attach itself to you."

Kagami decided he would take down the tree first. He supposed that the demon had to be residing in it. More sharp branches plummeted into the ground where stepped on a second ago. In which it had confirmed its existence for Kagami. Footwork in the forest ground was a breeze for him who had trained in the harsh mountains of the West. He quickly ended it with a slice.

Only for him to be whipped back by a vine.

"I thought I-" Kagami gritted as he stood up. "Killed it."

"It escaped to another medium before you hit it." Kuroko explained. He gave a resigned sigh afterwards. "I guess it's about time for me to work some magic."

Kagami looked at the other, who chanted some sort of incarnation before a circle spell emerged in mid air and what seemed like a fairy being flew out of it. The forest, originally dark was immediately enveloped in a flash of light. It was then there was screech and something slug like came reeling from the plants.

"Kagami-san!"

"This is the final strike!" Kagami yelled as he plunged his sword into the demon's head. It soon dispersed into small particles like it was burning up as the forest started to clear up. However Kagami remained confused.

"Do demons disappear like that?"

"No." Kuroko answered, almost instantaneously. "His real body is probably somewhere hiding. He should be quite a high ranking demon. Around a B - rank?"

As soon as he finished his sentence, he grimaced.

"I've never heard of this sort of ranking systems in the West and neither have I seen an adventurer with the sort of magic like yours." Kagami spoke, noticing Kuroko's sudden spike of wariness.

"It means that the extent of your travels is not far, Kagami-san." Kagami truthfully had not expected such a witty reply from the other. He flushed a deep red in embarrassment. He had not thought w reply to that and felt his words chucked at his throat. Kuroko chuckled softly at the knight's reaction.

"I apologise. Yes, our ranking systems differ to yours but slightly. In the West, you use numbers like 1 to 5. 1 being the highest and 5 the lowest. In the East, we use alphabets. A for the highest and E the lowest. There is an S rank, but it is reserved for those demons having power like the demon lord."

Kagami nearly found his ears bawling at the explanation. This was trivial he knew. It was something he would have found out easily if he were to waltz in a guild. It was the class type of Kuroko which tugged at him constantly. Kuroko had saw through Kagami.

"My class is a summoner."

Kagami nearly tripped over some rocks. "S-Summoners?! They are extinct! Bloodline gone! Alex told me that Summoners often have short lives so they are often outnumbered by many other classes."

"Alex?"

"Nothing. Just some person." Kagami quickly said. "But how?"

Kuroko stopped walking for a moment. He looked to the dirt path and then to Kagami, where he shifted his gaze after a while. Kagami was about to voice out when Kuroko spoke.

"There are six main classes in total in the East. Druids, Archers, Paladins, Mages, Assassins and Summoner."

Kagami drew a question mark above his head. He did not understand what Kuroko was trying to say. Really, this guy should start making his goals or whatever he is trying to say clearer. Perhaps along the way, he should make his presence stronger as well.

Kagami attempted a reply. In a way, it would mean that he had tried. "Well, there are also sub classes under each main class? Either way, what does that have to do with you?"

"Summoners cannot be fully extinct, Kagami-san. Look at the legend. The proud legend everyone so talked about." Kuroko then continued walking down the path. Kagami scratched his head, feeling perplexed. However he knew Kuroko was not going to talk about it any further.

Night soon camp upon them and they sat up a place to rest. That night, Kagami dreamt after a long while.

_"Alex! The legend is so cool! I wanna be one of them next time."_

_"Oh really? I feel that they did cut up some portions though."_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"It's a cliff hanger to how the sixth nation fell. What a dull and stupid legend."_

_"Alex?"_

"Nothing Kagami, go train yourself now."

Kagami snapped open his eyes and realised that it was already morning. Sunlight filtered through the leaves and he had to squint his eyes. It was not long before he was forced to sit up and found that Kuroko had long woken up, munching on some bread.

[As for how the sixth nation fell, the records are lost.]

"Wait, so it wasn't five but six people who fell the Seven nations?!" Kagami suddenly felt as if some of the pieces fit into his initial blank state. And yet, the jigsaw grown bigger again. He hated doing puzzles but if he were to fight the demon Lord tactics, he perhaps might just get some training here.

"Kagami-san." He turned to look at Kuroko.

"I see that you are often day dreaming." Kagami scowled at the sentence. Nevertheless, Kuroko paid no heed and continued. "I see the small city of Seirin in the distance. Let us inquire more about the roads ahead there."

"Maybe I should ask in your stead, Kuroko." The Knight sighed as he recalled the people jumping in fright in the previous village.

* * *

><p><strong>I hope that whatever was explained here was clear enough... <strong>


	3. Chapter 2: Seirin's Guild

**Once again, thank you for the reviews, favorites and follows! They spur me on to write. **

**In this chapter, things may get a little confusing as I had to focus on new characters that have just entered the story. I hope it is still clear. If not, please don't hesitate to tell me. That said, please enjoy. If possible, do review. Plus, if you squint a little, there is a bit of KagaKuro fluff here, a bit one sided though. **

**Note (something trivial though): Junpei is addressed by his first name here (Junpei). But subsequently, after Kagami and Kuroko learn of his full name, he will be addressed by his last name. All characters will be addressed by last names. **

* * *

><p>"Seirin is what you may term as the remnant of the previous sixth Demon Kingdom. There are many cities and villages in this area but Seirin is the biggest. Last year, it even managed to come under the protection of the Empire, you know, the big mysterious organization of the Seventh Kingdom that oversees those big Kingdoms called Kaijo or Touou." The bartender ranted, leaving Kagami nearly dozing off at the counter and Kuroko, well he did not see the other.<p>

"Rakuzan is still the top priority though." The bartender continued, hand on him and the other rubbing his chin. "Oh and by the way, have you heard off the upcoming-"

The bartender had not finished when Kuroko suddenly stood up and dropped some coins on the counter top. At the same time, the bartender had doubled over in shock. Kagami immediately snapped out from his drowsiness and went after Kuroko, confused by his abrupt action.

"Oi, what happened?" Kagami asked, flummoxed. "You just like marched out!"

"I was done getting information from him." Kuroko replied quietly. From the short days of journeying with the Summoner, Kagami knew that Kuroko was firm in keeping silent when he wanted to avoid a topic or question. He promised himself he would pursue them later. After all, Kuroko had promised him so.

Marketplaces in Seirin were swarmed with crowds, despite the fact that there were not many foreigners that by passed here. Most of them spoke in their same language. Kagami recalled how the guard had been increasingly wary of him, until Kuroko flashed their travel passes. Perhaps that was why he was feeling quite oppressed by the considerable amount of stares while he was walking down the street.

He stretched his face with his gloved hand. Or the other possible reason to why they were staring was...

* * *

><p>(A certain one morning)<p>

"_Kagami-kun, I would like to inquire about your eyebrows. Is it a genetic trait that your eyebrows spilt into two at the middle moint?" _

_"Huh? What do you mean? What about my eyebrows?" Kagami was not listening carefully. _

_"I wonder how it will look like when it curls at the top. Something like the famous pirate cook S**ji." Kuroko muttered to himself_.

* * *

><p>Somehow he felt quite pissed when he thought of that.<p>

"I don't even know who S**ji is!" He grumbled. And then when he looked up, he saw white.

"'Cuse me. Would you like to join Seirin's Thief Guild? You know with that stuff about the Demon Lord and all. Oh and the upcoming Guild tournament. You look kinda strong, are you a paladin? Wanna join Serin's Guild?" A somewhat high pitched male voice interrupted Kagami's thoughts; the knight feeling more and more annoyed.

Kagami brushed the white away with his hand and realized that it was some paper with advertisements for the guild in his face. He felt his vein popped for a moment and when he turned, he saw a shorter male backing away to the taller guy standing behind.

"Ehhh! Mitobe, say something! You know, use this opportunity to say something! Train your communication skills, eh? Hurry ne, he looks pretty pissed!" The smaller guy rambled to the taller like a bullet train. Somehow he reminded Kagami of a cat...?

The taller guy, almost as tall as Kagami himself, only managed a nod and an awkward smile. Kagami frowned and then quickly looked around, only to realize that Kuroko was missing. And that…

"Huh? What did you say about the Demon Lord again?" Kagami questioned, his voice coming out quite rough. He must have also looked quite menacing as the brown haired male was already inching away and the other, Mitobe, was taking some sort of a defensive stance.

"D-demon King, errr, rumored to be revived but it's really revived and yeah challenging, fighting…eeeeeeppppppp!" Koganei shrieked as Kagami lifted him up by the collar and Mitobe rushed to dislodge his friend from the knight's grip.

"I'm not hurting you. Bring me to your guild now." Kagami said, earning a small nod from the other. He took a last look around before he left, hoping to get a glimpse of the summoner. Then again, Kuroko was quite tough to look for in the first place.

"Sorry Kuroko, you may have to wait for a while."

* * *

><p>Aida Riko leaned on the table, feeling extremely lethargic. "Tell me, Junpei. Why is no one strong joining the guild? We have untrained people and even children?! We won't make it pass the preliminaries I assure." She shuffled the application papers and tossed them onto the table.<p>

"Should you be even fussing about that? I'm telling you, no one- I mean NO ONE, believes anything about some revival of the Demon Lord. There isn't anything big that had happened in the East, well at least not reported. So no one is taking us seriously because of that, why are you even advertising it? To add on, travelers seldom come to Seirin." The spikey black hair individual pushed up his glasses as he took a breath. "And even if you do so, we hadn't seen it at all."

"And we were the ones who do the dirty work for the government here to convince the Empire to give protection for our city. Either way, Kiyoshi won't lie about this." Aida replied solemnly. "Although the tournament had not been announced, it is coming."

Junpei bit his lip.

"What about this Guild tournament?"

Both Aida and Junpei looked up and saw (they had sworn) a giant, lifting up a flailing Koganei at the side. When they moved to the side, they saw Mitobe running from the back.

Kagami glared at the two at the table. One was a woman, who had short brown hair and her fringe held back by a clip. She was not heavily armored and seemed to just wear the ordinary, everyday civilian shirt and skirt as her base clothing. The other, who was a man, seemed to a mage or more likely a subclass, as he had donned on a greenish blue robe.

Somehow Mages and their subclasses were extremely keen on wearing robes.

Both were speechless by his sudden appearance and Kagami somehow knew things would not progress unless he took the initiative. He held out a slip of paper. "I'm joining Seirin's Guild and I'll get my partner to join by tomorrow. By then, tell me more about that tournament. I have to go look for him now."

Kagami was one who was quite straightforward with words. In which after saying that, he dropped Koganei and proceeded to look for Kuroko which he had deemed the most painful of all tasks he would do in his entire lifetime. He knew that the other fairly well knew how to combat when in danger. However, he just cannot seem to get rid his anxiety when it comes to Kuroko.

He did not know why.

The paper was trembling, together with Aida. Somehow Junpei, Koganei and Mitobe found this to be quite hilarious. She looked as if she had got a jackpot. Perhaps she might have, as Junpei recalled about the giant a few minutes ago.

"You have to look as this… A person from the West, Kagami Taiga. Plus he mentioned he is trained in swordsmanship. I have good hopes on this one. I wonder what his partner is like." She mused as she flicked the paper.

Koganei spotted a paper at the end of the table and called to others to gain their attention. He raised the paper in his hand. "Ne, Riko. You forgot about this applicant."

"I thought I looked through everything." Riko mumbled as Junpei received the paper from Koganei. His eyes nearly bulged out from their sockets when he read it. Riko leaned in to read.

"Now what?" Koganei laughed at his reaction.

"Now that's my other golden egg!" She screamed happily and stood on the table, cheering loudly. Several people whispered and eyed her with curious or appalled stares but she did not mind. With Junpei trying to get her down, Koganei and Mitobe took a sneak peak at the paper.

"No way…?"

[_Application:_

_Name: Kuroko Tetsuya_

_Please choose one: Train in Magic (circled)/ Trained in Swordsmanship/Untrained_

_Previous Affiliation or Organization you are from: The Empire_]

* * *

><p>"What? You are from The Empire? Were you send by them?" Kagami reeled back in shock by the sudden revelation.<p>

"…'were', not 'are'…" Kuroko calmly responded. However he hesitated before he continued with the next sentence.

"And no, because… I ran away from The Empire."

* * *

><p><strong>...<strong>

***sits and twiddle thumbs***


	4. Chapter 3: The Empire's Secret

**Thank you for the reviews, follows and favourites, everyone! Special thanks to Kiki2000, hitomi65, Ern Estine 13624 and NX-Loveless-XN for reviewing:)****They really encourage me! **

**I really hope I kept the characters in the original way they are portrayed. Kuroko seemed a bit more stuck up but well he has secrets. This chapter has a lot of secrets being revealed and once again, it may get confusing... The excitement is in the next chapter where there will be not much talking but bam! Action! **

**Note: Sorry for my terrible puns. It would help if you could give me some? **

**If there are any areas for improvement, please tell me. Please review as well if possible. Most importantly, enjoy the story! **

* * *

><p>Kagami swore that his lifespan at least decrease by five years ever since he had met Kuroko. The amount of shock he gotten from that boy seemed to be infinite. If Kagami was good at mathematics and if he calculated it with extreme precision, he would be suffering shocks-from-Kuroko at least 2.5 times a day.<p>

Yesterday, the Summoner told him that he was from The Empire. It never occurred to him that he would be travelling with someone most probably of noble background. Then again, it was Kuroko who was a (bolded, italic, whatever he could do to make the word stand out) Summoner, Kagami should expect such a story from him.

Kuroko managed to hit the nail right on the dot. "Kagami-san, did you think that I was a common villager?"

Kagami could never find a reply to Kuroko's occasional crude manner of speaking. However, he wanted an answer to why he ran away from The Empire and then wished to stand against them, which also meant standing against the Generation of Miracles as well. Much to the other's surprise, Kuroko gave his reply without any questioning of the sort.

"I was trained in The Empire. There was nothing called a team. Everyone had their own strengths… They thought that they were strong, they didn't rely on each other. I didn't like it so I ran away and been hiding from them ever since." Kuroko paused, his eyes seemed sorrowful as they looked into the distance. His mouth twitched a little, like he wanted to continue speaking but he somehow decided to refrain. It was a while before Kuroko broke the silence that lingered between.

"By the time, they were crowned heirs to the throne, I have decided to come out of hiding. But the Generation of Miracles…were already being manipulated by the Demon Lord."

Kagami felt the words rammed up in his throat and he blurted out at one go. "The Empire is behind the revival of the Demon Lord?"

"From what I have seen, yes."

Kagami leaned back. He did not expect the monster to have gathered influence so quickly. He gritted his teeth. "How did you know about this? Like the Demon Lord and stuff."

"They told me." And Kuroko said nothing more.

The next morning, Kagami had ordered inhumane number of food for breakfast. A total 43 sausage buns and 20 plates of what seemed like stew. He sat on a table and when he took the first bite, Kuroko 'miraculously' appeared at the table.

"W-where? When did you come?" He asked, flabbergasted.

"I sat here first since six. It was which 3 customers took their seating before you came and notice me. I say it is rather impressive." Kuroko had shown no signs of their conversation the night before both in speech and action. He spoke like how he always did.

Kagami frowned and then took a bite of his bread.

"Kagami-san, it is evident that you are bothered by last night's conversation." The red head stared at the other in confusion. Was Kuroko some sort of psychic? Heck, was it even alright for them to talk about this here? Kuroko did not seem to mind his environment.

"I too, have a lack of answers to what I wish to know."

Kagami felt his temperature rising. "My questions are way more than yours!" Yet he held back his tongue. Patience should be exercise.

"The Guild Tournament will be the place that would allow us to easily encounter the Generation of Miracles." Kuroko added, before he took a sip of his vanilla milkshake. In that second, Kagami felt he should start preparing proper meals for the baby blue haired boy.

"Huh? You knew about it?" Kagami questioned, raising his eyebrow. "Oh yeah, like could you join the Guild? I mean the other day I signed up without thinking but then I really thought they might know something-" He rubbed at the back of his head, trying to grapple a reason.

"They do. Which is why I willingly gave my identity away when I signed up. I have no intention from backing out from going against the Generation of Miracles." Kuroko interrupted and Kagami remained speechless once more.

"SINCE-Since when did you JOIN?!" He exclaimed, the people in the inn giving harsh stares. Kuroko, however, well remained unchanged.

"How did you think you so easily and coincidently bumped into me yesterday?" Kuroko sighed softly. "You have to take note more often…"

Kagami made a series of insults.

* * *

><p>"Alright everyone! Please strip!" Aida clapped her hands as if in glee. Meanwhile Junpei and some others stood behind her, giving a lopsided smile and something along the lines of 'I-am-sorry-I-cannot-help-you' with it.<p>

Most of newcomers gave a look, baffled by what they had just heard. Before Aida had opened her mouth, some of them whispered among themselves how she was most probably the administrator and how cute she was.

"Did you not hear what I just said?" She smiled. Somehow that had seemed extremely terrifying for a second.

They soon comply and took off their armor, clothes, weapons and everything they had on off, minus the pants and whatever beneath them. (Decency had to be maintained- this is a T rated fic after all). Meanwhile Aida stared at them like a hawk and they felt the silent shivers.

One of the men who stood beside Junpei sighed. "I guess she did it again, eh?"

"Yeah Izuki, but with Riko's scan ability. She is able to determine what potential a person has and then, we can easily groom them to what they are."

Junpei grinned when he saw the look on Aida's face when she came across Kagami. "Apparently, we have some newbies who are quite the different from the usual we get here."

The black hair individual saw a lightbulb lit for a moment. With a serious note, he said, "The newbies will bring forth the new era. We can start anew from the previous Tournament!"

"Shut up, Izuki."

Aida mused over Kagami's facts as she scanned the others. No one had seemed out of the ordinary other than the red head giant. She went through over them and asked for their names. Somehow, she was unable to catch the 'Kuroko Tetsuya' she was hoping to see all along. Maybe he did not turn up today. Sighing, she proceeded to stand in front of them.

"All of you, my name is Aida Riko and I am the head of Seirin's Guild!"

Immediately, there was a series of whispers among them.

"What? How can girl so young be the head?"

"Wait, doesn't that mean she is also part of Seirin's government?"

"Impossible, I think she's a liar!"

The rage in the girl seemed to have boiled over and then, that instant, everyone who said something bad about her regretted what they said.

"If anyone refuses to comply, you may quit now. Seirin's Guild is not for the half-hearted! We have an ability test tomorrow, come along if you still wish to join." She snapped and she approached Kagami. However there was a light tap on her shoulders and she turned around, only to have a shock.

"Wha-Who are you? How did you enter?" She stuttered.

"I've been here from the start." Kuroko replied as usual, unaffected by her reaction.

"He's my partner." Kagami approached her. "Kuroko Tetsuya."

Aida did not form a proper reply as she looked as his stats. She then gave a small smile after Kuroko and Kagami had worn their clothes and ushered them towards the Guild door.

"Before I leave, Aida-san, why did Seirin participate in the Guild Tournament? I have never heard of Seirin participating until last year." Kuroko turned to question her.

"The Guild Tournament is actually a test of strength among the cities. The Guild of the city who wins would win support from The Empire in many areas like politically, economically or even militarily for the city. In order to survive, Seirin will join. There have been rumors how lesser cities have been rooted out already."

* * *

><p>"This whole Empire thing drives me nuts. I don't get why the East is so complicated." Kagami grumbled as they proceeded to sit in a corner of the inn. "I have never thought so much about all this."<p>

"The Empire was an organization of the seventh kingom, Teiko, in which their ruling was derived from their extreme concept of social Darwinism. The belief of society being ruled over by the strong and that the weak should be sieved out of society." Kuroko quietly spoke.

"Huh? Kuroko? I wasn't asking about politics."

"You should know more, Kagami-san. By the way, when did the rumor of the Demon Lord started in your region?" Kuroko continued as he took a bite of his sandwich, something Kagami felt of great miracle as Kuroko was eating solid food.

"About a year ago?"

"Ah, I see."

* * *

><p><strong>...<strong>

**Kuroko... **

***rolls around...***


	5. Chapter 4: The Ability Test (Part I)

**Thank you for the follows and favorites and especially to those who reviewed. **

**I know I am a little off schedule, but I was quite sick for a few days. Anyway here you go! There is not much action.. I am sorry, the next part would be. There are a lot of characters being introduced here and I focused a little on Seirin's trio freshmen! They deserved a little credit yeah, after they fought so hard against Rakuzan... **

**Enjoy this chapter! I hope you laugh. And please review! Reviews are my cookies:} NOM NOM. Oh I'm sick...**

* * *

><p>"I don't understand." Aida muttered to herself. "Kuroko's stats were average, no some of them even were below the normal fighter. Even for a mage, Junpei's better than him. But he said was from the Empire... He is partnered with Kagami so I suppose he can fight so why..?"<p>

Aida messed the brown locks she clipped up and leaned back onto her chair. The boy named Kuroko Tetsuya was extremely confusing. His organization and his body stats were too contradictory. When he had left, the question he had inquired her earlier bothered her greatly.

Aida was not dumb. She knew that someone from the Empire had likely to be a runaway than an envoy. She knew that someone who asked about the Guild Tournament from the start was suspicious. She knew that Kuroko Tetsuya had a purpose.

But what purpose?

She had considered contacting him, but she held her fingers above the communicating slip. Now was not the time yet.

Maybe tomorrow's ability test would shed a bit of light.

* * *

><p>"Kuroko! Hurry up! We are late!" Kagami yelled at the running (barely) summoner at the back.<p>

"It was your fault that we were late, Kagami-san. After all, you refuse to wake despite my multiple callings until I had to summon a rain spirit to pour some water in your face." Kuroko ranted as he paced quickly. "Furthermore, we both know that I do not have the constitution to keep up with you."

"Fine! I got it! And by the way, that wasn't 'some water' alright! It was a freaking thunderstorm-in the room to boot! I was drenched and nearly struck by several lightning bolts!" Kagami snapped. He turned back and saw that Kuroko had made no progress. Hence with a loud sigh, he walked back, slung Kuroko over his shoulder and ran to the Guild.

"Kagami-san-"Kuroko spoke in a broken manner for he was bouncing a lot like a stuffed doll in a child's hands. "I- can walk- so- please- put me- down-"

"Good morning, everyone." Junpei nodded to everyone. "My name is Hyuga Junpei and I am captain for the Guild which means I am in-charge of leading us into missions."

"Here, this Izuki Shun. He is your vice-captain and-"Before Hyuga could finish his statement, the doors flew open, revealing a panting Kagami carrying Kuroko.

"I'm sorry that we're late!" Kagami profusely apologized and kept bowing. He had seen Aida's "flying-fists-of-justice" yesterday and he was very sure that the woman packed quite a punch in her.

"Kagami-san, right?" Hyuga sighed before he noted something out of the norm. "Don't worry about Riko yet, your friend there looks quite…lifeless."

"Dead…because they are really dead (as in got into trouble)!" Izuki quickly intercepted.

"Shut up, Izuki." Hyuga mentioned in a tone like he had already said it a hundred times earlier in the morning.

When Kagami turned to at the blue haired boy, it took him a few seconds for him to get a shock. Kuroko had looked normal at first glance, but upon detailed observation, one can see that his eyes seemed a bit… out of shape (?) Well of course, Kagami gotten a huge scare.

"His eyes! His eyes!"

"Stop making noises already, you latecomers!" Hyuga snapped.

"Erm… Junpei. His eyes are really…" Koganei squeaked a little

"Wah! Is it even human to have their eyes out of position?"

"The dead has dead eyes…"

"Just shut up, Izuki!"

* * *

><p>"Alright, since we are a bit delayed. I will cut down some instructions to haste. As you all know, we will have an ability test. the newcomers will go against the current members of the Guild! It's a five on five team fight!" Aida snapped her fingers to silence the chatters that surfaced. It was amazing how silence was obtained immediately.<p>

Hyuga continued where Aida had left off, "Since all of you are new, we will give you a slight advantage. There will only be one team of five for the current Guild members. That is me, Izuki Shun, Mitobe Rinnosuke, Koganei Shinji and Satoshi Tsuchida. Furthermore, you will be given 10 minutes before we catch up with you."

"The goal for this match is simple. See these shikigami?" Aida held out a few glowing slips of paper. "You have to secure five of them. If the opposing team destroys them all, you lose. You have an hour to do so. They will take up any form so be careful!"

They were soon grouped to five. There were four groups in total and they were the last. Kagami stared wearily at Kuroko while the other just blinked back. They had drawn lots for the fair distribution, but somehow Lady Luck just loved putting them back together again.

Kagami grimaced, the setting for the test area had to be a forest and Kuroko cannot run for nuts! Luckily they were the team last to go, which meant there was time to analyze the situation.

"How about introductions first, Kagami-san?" Kagami looked up at Kuroko who brushed away his shawl draping over his face. Meanwhile, he saw another three waving their hands at him. After a quick introduction, he recognized the brown spikey hair boy just slightly taller than Kuroko as Furihata Koki, the boy with his black hair all over with a few locks over his face as Fukuda Hiroshi and the bald one as Kawahara Koichi.

Apparently, they were surprised when told that Kagami was a knight.

"What do you mean?" Kagami inquired, feeling slightly restless.

"Well, to have a class, you have to register to a Guild first and see if they accept you. Once they do, you go through a few tests to get your class. One of it is the ability test." Furihata explained.

"Seirin's Guild just jumps the gun I guess." Fukuda laughed without much humor.

"Alright boys, stop dawdling!" Aida yelled from the sidelines. "It's your turn now, group four!"

"H-hey that was too fast!" Kagami flinched as he saw the third group returning back slightly bruised and battered. The first two with some the team members leaving, muttering something about strength and ridiculous. When he turned to face the group of five from Seirin's Guild, they did not seem as if they had broken a sweat and looked perfectly fine in the least.

"Ah, we are so going to lose…" Kawahara mumbled dejectedly as they stood up to move to the forest. The forest was behind Seirin's Guild, just right outside the city's East gate. The number of Shikigami released was not told, but in that ten minutes, they would have to at least secure one.

"What is a Shikigami anyway, Kuroko?" Kagami panted as he carried Kuroko on the back. The other three was slightly confused by the action when Kagami did the moment they left the city gates. However from Kuroko's looks, it was easy to figure that he was not physically adapt in the forest. They decided to split into two groups upon entering the densely populated tropical and promised to gather after the ten minute mark.

"A paper spirit, which led me to believe that Aida-san is an Onmyouji." The other replied. "The Onmyouji is a subclass of a summoner. They create or summon temporal familiars out of paper. When destroyed, they just revert back to paper. In the West, they will be known as Witches."

"Then how does a shikigami look like? She said its form is random."

Kuroko pointed.

At a rock.

Kagami cannot form a reply. He had expected something along the lines like a paper doll. But a rock?!

Yes, Kuroko nodded.

A rock.

The rock.

Kagami stopped near the rock and seemingly glared at it. Until Kuroko mentioned that it was rude to glare at a rock, or a shikigami for that matter. When he reached to pick it up…

The rock moved.

This was ridiculous alright.

Meanwhile Furihata, Fukuda and Kawahara encountered a maiden in the lake and had paused to observe the beauty.

"Is that a Shikigami?"

"Definitely! I heard Shikigamis are beautiful!" Kawahara quickly answered, his face flushing a deep red. "So we go nab her now!"

"I would feel…bad." Furihata said slowly, trying to put in the correct words, however Kawahara was already on his way, with Fukuda creeping behind.

* * *

><p>"Alright, it seems that time is up." Hyuga gestured to the rest. "It's time to go."<p>

* * *

><p><strong>...<strong>

**Rock.**


	6. Chapter 5: The Ability Test (Part II)

**First of all, sorry for the super late update. I have to do a lot things recently like moving houses here and in another country for school. So this whole Feb till March, updates will be slow but max 2 weeks like I have promised. Plus I have to update my other Haikyuu! fic. Still I appreciate very much if you could still read and review.**

**Now, thank you for the favorites, follows and reviews! Especially to Ern Estine 13624 and xxxLucyxharemfanxxx for the last chapter:) **

**This chapter is more focused on Kuroko, yay!**

* * *

><p>In the dense tropical forest just beyond the East gate of the city Seirin, cries could be heard. Specifically, cries of regret. There were broken twigs, crushed grass and bended branches along the way when trailing to the source of noise.<p>

"Who's great idea was it to 'nab' the girl?!" Furihata snapped.

"I'm sorr—weee!" Kawahara's words were incoherent. They were running at full speed after all. Fatigue was catching up to them, forest terrains were difficult to run on.

"Guys, run first, talk later!" Fukuda cried. He turned behind to catch a glimpse of their pursuer. Oh bless the Great Empire, she was only a few meters behind. Still, it ignited a fuel in him to run faster.

How they had ended in this predicament, was perhaps the play of misfortune. The lady who bathed in the water had noticed Kawahara, who made too much noise in his advancement. They thought she would scream or maybe throw a wooden tub, with the inclusion of soap bottles at them. Just like any normal girl would.

How dearly wrong they were.

They should have expected no less from Aida Riko. The lady turned out to be a half snake monster. Sure, she was attractive on her top but the moment, her fingernails lengthened, her irises narrowed and baring fangs, they had wasted no time in pumping their leg muscles.

Suddenly, there was a sudden movement in the shadows of the vegetation and the snake lady stopped, much to their relief and surprise. It was then Hyuga appeared from the side, with Izuki behind.

"Haha, how is it? When you wish to get a kiss, you get a hiss!" Izuki chuckled at his joke. Hyuga remained expressionless and well, the three were too tired to react to it, not that it was even funny in the first place.

Seeing that silence remained, Izuki continued, "Well, I spotted one here. To think they encountered a vicious shikigami for their first."

The snake lady just approached towards Hyuga and disappeared in puff, leaving a wisp of smoke behind.

"The lady's pretty attached to you, huh?" Izuki commented and Hyuga scowled. He then turned to the freshmen.

"That's one for us now. Better hurry with yours."

"Does that count..?" Furihata managed a breath. "I thought you were supposed to destroy them?"

"Secure, destroy, as long it's ours. It's our point." The glasses man shrugged and then disappeared into the bushes once more.

The three stared on before agreeing to rush back to the initial spot where they wanted to meet the duo.

* * *

><p>Kagami felt so messed up. Honestly, within five minutes, he had given up on that ridiculous running rock. Kuroko just urged him on, saying that they might not be able to find another Shikigami in the next few minutes. So they played catch with the rock, as impossible and dumb as it might sound.<p>

For a small thing, it was incredibly fast. Not that it was too surprising, after all, field mice (the normal ones you see in the wheat field), flying squirrels (Squirrels with angel like wings) or jewel rabbits (rabbits with a precious gem in their foreheads) were incredibly fast in that matter. Kagami enjoyed hunting them.

However this case…was a rock. And because they had been so focused on it, he did not expect being whacked away by a large figure. Instinctively, he lunged himself at the beast. Turned out to be a forest bear (as it name suggests and looks like it), but an extremely overgrown one. To Kagami, it was an easy kill.

However the bear had tumbled down a steep slope as Kagami drew his thick sword and plunged it into the beast. He killed it swiftly and gathered the pelt of it, and then realized, in his 'conquest', Kuroko was missing.

And that guy, was barely visible to the human eye.

It was then Kagami noticed a floating paper lantern under the shade of an umbrella like tree. Hoping that Kuroko would be able to hold it off until he comes, he proceeded to investigate it.

"Now that is one thing that looked like those paper spirits."

Then he saw Mitobe and Koganei, then they saw him both were five meters away from the lantern.

* * *

><p>Kuroko had wanted to call out to Kagami, but that impulsive red head had jumped into the fight. He sighed and paced around the forest. Hopefully, if he was lucky he might catch Kagami's aura. It was often easy to spot among the crowds, glaring big red. Often, it reminded him of…<p>

Ah this was not the time to recall such memories, that no one would ever reclaim.

Kuroko did not like how easily he was caught in the clouds, but that had been a recurring trait of late. His feet was often caught in roots when he was slightly unaware and the sudden thorns that jutted from the sides would often tug his fabric and grazed his legs.

Akashi would often accompany him in missions like this and he would too, with him, perhaps together with a talkative Kise who would squabble with Aomine a few minutes or so. Midorima would be quiet at the back, only tagged along because Akashi asked him to and Murakibasa, snacking away. Sometimes, Momoi would come along and tugged at his arm.

Since when did he start thinking again?

It was then a growl drew him out. He lifted his head and was faced a large white owl.

"I wonder why Aida-san enjoy summoning such…dangerous Shikigamis." He mumbled quietly to himself. Meanwhile Fukuda and Furihata stumbled out from the bushes.

"Ehhh Kuroko?" They gasped. He was not obvious at first sight, but the floating leaves and sticks somewhat indicated his presence was there.

"Hello." Kuroko greeted.

"What are you doing here?" Furihata asked, feeling quite awkward. He did not want to mention how they ran like mice from a cat when chased by a Shikigami just a couple of minutes ago, or more recently, got split up from Kawahara due to a giant pitcher plant-like creature and now lost.

"There is a shikigami here." Kuroko replied somewhat monotonously. He gestured for them to take a step back which they did and suddenly an iron like white feather shot down in front of them. "It is quite a danger." He added as he stared at the owl which now shrieking.

If running like mad dogs and running (lost) in circles were bad enough, then this would be top on that list.

"How are we supposed to fight that?" Fukuda yelled as another it sent another wind attack. He and Furihata were gaining a lot of its attention and Kuroko stood in a corner, watching. For amusement or observation, he could not tell, the boy's features were hardly different than his usual.

The few minutes of dodging was starting to take toil on them. He could be sure he was returning home with muscle aches.

"Fight like the way you always do." Kuroko suddenly called out. "And I will support you."

Before Fukuda could question, Furihata immediately reacted to it. "Alright, I trust you." He grinned and charged forward to the creature.

It was then a magic circle opened in front of him, revealing some species of large feline with long manes that seemed to crackle, and a horn on its forehead. It roared and when it did, it sounded like thunder and Furihata was stunned for a moment and fell back. It bared its large fangs to the white bird and immediately struck the shikigami with a blue-yellow coloured lighting spear.

The shikigami was struck in surprise and fumbled to the ground. Fukuda took his chance and swung his blade at the creature. It crashed to the tree and lifted its wings. It hardened its tip and all new another attack was coming.

"Raiju (in Japanese literally translates as 'lightening beast" or something like that), cover them." Kuroko commanded as he held the small glowing crystal in his hand which faded away slightly.

The beast leapt to the owl which ended flailing its wings in desperation and the two rushed for the final blow. The owl struggled a little before disappearing into a slip of paper which landed into Furihata's hands. At the same time, Raiju disappeared, as quickly as it had appeared.

"What was that? What was that four legged monster?" Furihata muttered after a while.

"A Raiju." Kuroko said stoically.

"I just realized we got our first Shikigami." Fukuda laughed and so did Furihata, who was too tired to inquire about details. Kuroko smiled too.

"Ah, have you seen Kagami?" Kuroko suddenly recalled about his initial purpose.

"No, wasn't he with you earlier?"

"Ah we got separated because of a forest bear." Kuroko explained.

"We got separated because of a plant monster- Kawahara I mean. I hope he is alright." Fukuda rubbed the back of his neck, feeling somewhat anxious.

Kuroko turned his head to look around and lifted his head to face the sky, which was slightly obscured by some branches and leaves or flowers. As Fukuda and Furihata called for him to follow them, he grimaced slightly, though not seen.

"This forest air is weird...yet not like the other."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile Kawahara wished he had never stumbled on this scene. Two current members of Seirin's guild versus just one Kagami? It sounded so outnumbered, even one would be tough for him to handle. The boy found himself at a loss of what to do, until Kagami scented him out and called him from his hiding spot.<p>

He had no choice but to come out. Pride, as one oculd see but partially fear as well. Kagami seemed reliable, but then again, he was unsure anything about the knight.

"It seems that we have to fight it out eh?" Kagami grinned.

"Nyah!" Koganei yipped a little, in which after the taller showed some hand gestures, Koganei looked at Kagami once more, this time more determined.

"Well I guess!"

Kawahara regretted not going to the temple yesterday.

Oh bless the Great Empire.

* * *

><p><strong>... <strong>

**I hope you are not confused with my confused state of writing since I am confused. It is 2.25am after all...**

**Sorry pardon my bad puns. Please review!**


	7. Chapter 6: The Ability Test (Part III)

**Thank you for the reviews, follows and favorites! I feel like a robot repeating all this all time. But really thank you for your support. I think it's sorta stupid to be happy for over 1000 views on this fic but anyway I am! I'll celebrate with a (digital) champagne or something. **

**Anyway... I am sorry. I am a terrible person. After like a two week wait, I uploaded a chapter with a cliffhanger again. I'm sorry, just a warning haha... I will fill up your anticipation soon I promise since majority of things have already settled down. Not much action here, will be a lot in the next chapter. I promise. **

**Kiseki (GOM) will also come soon. I know I am dragging this too long. **

**Hope you enjoy... *slowly hides behind a bulletproof window* **

* * *

><p>Who was the goddess of Peace again? What about the guardian of war? Or maybe the lady of good fortune? Perhaps the wind god for good travels?<p>

Whatever. Just give him someone to pray to so they might grant him help. And immediately. By the Great Empire, he was going puke out his breakfast any moment.

Kawahara was currently being thrown around by Koganei's whirlwind attack. Meanwhile Kagami found himself struggling with Mitobe's defensive skills. And the paper lantern shikigami was still hovering in a small corner.

After Kawahara found himself a distance away, he noticed how quick Koganei became on his foot. He rushed towards the shikigami, wanting to grab it. Until, Kagami managed a quick slash from his broad sword.

"Yip! If I hadn't dodged that…" Koganei whimpered as he rubbed his neck.

Kagami, with brute force burst from Mitobe's grip. Using his broad sword, he formed a circular slash technique forcing the taller of Serin's duo to back off. Koganei, also could not stand against the immense pressure of the attack and was forced a few meters back.

With great speed, the knight rushed and grabbed the edge of the paper lantern as Kawahara silently stared in awe.

* * *

><p>"And… that makes eight." Izuki hummed as he counted the slips of paper in Hyuga's hand. "Riko summons twenty shikigami each round, yes?"<p>

Hyuga nodded as he scanned the surroundings. "But she hides them quite well. Even I have a bit of a tough time detecting her magic."

Suddenly, Tsuchida appeared from behind the trees. "Hyuga-san." He panted slightly. Hyuga looked at Izuki who understood what the other meant. They followed the other behind closely and saw Mitobe and Koganei. Both of them were looking slightly battered.

"Mahhh, he was so fast…" Koganei whined as Mitobe gestured to Hyuga to indicate they were alright.

"It seems that we have some powerful new guild members." Hyuga chuckled as the two of them brushed the dirt off their clothes. "Let's go together this time."

All of them nodded.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, the summoner had stopped in his tracks suddenly, surprising the two walking ahead.<p>

"What's up, Kuroko?" Furihata asked as he approached the shorter, who was still looking in the left direction.

"Red aura…" He muttered. The other did not get what he meant and he turned to look at Fukuda for a little help. Kuroko closed his eyes as he tried to sense what was around him.

It had been a while since he had used this magic- radar magic. Akashi was much adapt in this then he was. After all, it was he who was the strongest of them. Kuroko had not like using it, since it reminded him of the old days. Yet he did not have a choice in this manner. It would not do themselves good if they remained split up. Some Shikigamis were dangerous after all as proven by that white owl.

"Kagami-san." Kuroko nodded a little. Both the people behind him remained perplexed by his unorthodox actions. Suddenly, a large figure (literally) smashed through the tall overgrown plants.

"Why. Are. There. So many plants?!" Kagami snapped as he swung his hand to pull the vines hanging down from the trees. Kawahara silently followed behind and Fukuda and Furihata was just stunned by the sudden change of events.

Well at least luck is finally shining on them a little.

"Hello Kagami-san." Kagami jumped, when he saw Kuroko appearing at his left side. "And it is a tropical forest. The plant density is high here."

"Wha- How-What- Huh?" Kagami was unable to form coherent words as his finger just remained pointing at Kuroko, slightly shaking. Not to mention that there was this voice that nagged behind Kagami if Kuroko was doing all this on purpose.

Kuroko, of course, remained nonchalant.

"We caught a shikigami, or rather Kagami did." Kawahara spoke up, breaking the momentary silence minus Kagami's stuttering. "Not to mention, he managed to thrash two of Seirin's members." He added.

"I didn't. I just brushed them off and got away with the loot. They are quite strong, though I hate to admit." Kagami grumbled.

"So why did you choose to run away then?" Furihata asked.

"I thought that weak guy couldn't last a second there." Kagami muttered. Kuroko looked up at him, without much of a facial expressions (as usual) and asked.

"You were worried about me?" And he gave some sort of a smug yet confused look. His expressions were hard to discern.

Before this erupted into a fight, Fukuda quickly told Kagami that they managed to claim one of the shikigami as well as another one. It was easy since it was disguised as a normal flying forest squirrel (thank the heavens for Kuroko). No words could describe their happiness when they managed to chance upon something normal from Aida.

However when it had turn into a slip, there was a strange mark on it, which they did not wonder much since after much prodding nothing had happened. Kuroko made a slight frown, but he did not say much.

"That makes three and we need the fourth and fifth and we are done!" Kawahara cheered.

"No guys…" Fukuda paused in his tracks as the others turned to face him. "I think we are going to be out of time…"

An hour it was and half of it had passed.

Hence they ended up running- again.

"I thought (puff)… that we…(puff)… already ran enough…(puff)… to make up an entire walk throughout …(puff)… Touou's desert!" Furihata yelled.

"We don't have much of a choice here! Kuroko says he senses one ahead and he kept insisting to hurry!" Kawahara replied, thankfully his stamina was half tanked as compared to the two.

Furihata snapped, "He doesn't have to run!"

"If he ran, the sun would set for three days before we even reached our destination." Kagami shouted. He was not panting or huffing as much they were. The three had to mention that they were slightly jealous of his constitution.

"Kagami-san, I do not take that as a compliment." Kuroko said, as he bobbed up and down behind the knight's back.

"It wasn't…" Fukuda laughed quietly without humor.

* * *

><p>"Hyuga-san?" Koganei inquired when Hyuga stopped in his tracks. Izuki grinned as he crouched on one of the branches slightly ahead of them.<p>

"Guess what, guys? We will have a five-on-five team battle!"

"What do you mean, nya?" Koganei asked, shuddering slightly at the sudden thought of the big Knight. He looked at Mitobe who gestured.

"Mitobe says he doesn't see them either."

Hyuga took out his rod he slung from his back. "We would. In five minutes."

And indeed they met in five minutes. The Seirin members were about to laugh from their stunned expressions. From the time now to the end, it was twenty minutes. Their job was mainly to delay. Still, Aida had not minded if they toyed with them a little for a test indication on their strengths.

Looking at the Skikigami this time round, it was a large Moon Mountain Wolf. Hyuga knew that Shikigami, it was the most stubborn of Riko's lot. Not to mention, also the most hostile, even to its owner. The wolf gave a low growl to both teams.

"Well I guess its fight and chase. Sounds like fish and chips! Fight and chase!" Izuki laughed. It was then there was universal silence and everyone had that shadowed look (with the exception of Kuroko who looked away). Even the wolf as well.

"Shut up, Izuki."

* * *

><p><strong>...<strong>

**Pwease review? **


	8. Chapter 7: The Ability Test (Final)

** Alright and done! **

**Nothing much to say except thank you! This fantasy story won't be too long. Well unless if I have extra ideas? Anyway, do enjoy!**

* * *

><p>"Hey, why do you look so sad?"<p>

The blue hair boy spun around. "I… am not strong." He replied.

There was a chuckle. "You have a strength that no one else have. I'll teach you."

Then a hand was stretched out to him. He hesitated before he grabbed it. Slowly as he stood up and walked, there were several more of them, all outstretched.

He smiled, for the first time in a long while.

It was then he secretly promised he would repay them.

He blinked twice. Kuroko felt a trail of wet blood clinging onto his face. It must have been from the impact of crashing into the tree. On top of him, on the tree's branches, was a grotesque looking creature. Beside him, there was no one. In front was an agitated shikigami.

"Kagami-san?"

There was no reply.

He rubbed his temple. How had all of this started?

* * *

><p>Izuki leapt into the air and landed onto the ground gracefully. Meanwhile, Kagami blocked a hit from Tuschida. Meanwhile Izuki rushed behind Kagami, attempting at a surprise attack. He nearly failed until Hyuga managed to bind Kagami with his magic and he changed to a kick.<p>

Kawahara felt himself thrown back. As he looked on, he knew Fukuda and Furihata were not really a match for the more experienced fighters.

"We really can't win this! Kagami-san, let's back away." Kawahara shouted to Kagami.

Immediately, the knight retaliated by lifting him by his collar.

"Don't you ever say that!" He hissed. "A knight does not back away from duty."

"Hey guys, don't fight." Hyuga raised his wand, wanting to intercept. However Kagami heard Fukuda first.

"Where's Kuroko-san?"

There was a short pause between breaths when Koganei cried out.

"The wolf is missing, Hyuga-san!"

Kagami gazed on the time which was on a slip beside Fukuda.

Ten minutes left.

* * *

><p>Kuroko recalled that he had tried to stalk the wolf when the others were busy with one another. It had been fairly easy for his presence was undeniable weak. However, something had hit him from behind and was thrown towards the trees. It was then the wolf spun around.<p>

It was threatening however. But Kuroko knew it was not entirely towards him but to the weird creature hanging above Him. In normal circumstances, an average mage would not be able detect this demon. But Kuroko was a summoner, he was sensitive to magic particles in the air. So that was what had been snooping around. Yet, things still had felt quite right. How should he say this? It was like someone was watching.

"I believe you are also the demon we encountered in the forest prior." He nodded as he soke. The creature gave an angry howl and leapt to attack Kuroko, only to be tackled by the wolf. The shikigami had been partially annoyed that the monster paid him not much of a heed.

Kuroko watched on in silence. He held his breath. And then he called upon them.

Meanwhile, Kagami and the others left the battle quickly. Kagami cursed his stubbornness, he had been so engrossed in battle that he had forgotten about their main task.

* * *

><p>"Junpei, what happened?" Aida spoke through the magic sphere that had on his cane.<p>

"Your wolf suddenly ran off, which was rare. He usually stays in the spot." Hyuga panted.

"No I think something's with this forest. Some of my shikigami have unusually too aggressive on the new comers."

"So…" Koganei turned to Hyuga.

"Call them back. Things look bad, I think there is a high class demon the forest."

"I would be able to sense him." Hyuga retorted.

"Hyuga-san, Mitobe says that some high class demons can't be detected. They've gotten stronger since last year for some odd reason."

Hyuga said nothing but made a face.

* * *

><p>"Kuroko! Move your head down- now!" Kuroko was about to summon his creatures when Kagami came swooping in with his sword and whacked the creature from behind. The wolf had been severely clawed by the demon and was howling in pain.<p>

The demon caused a root from a ground to shoot up and gave a final plunge into the shikigami and the shikigami disappeared into a piece of paper.

The demon then made a run for the trees and extended sharp thorn like branches onto everyone. However Kuroko was slightly slower to react, and it was certain that it would hit him, the branch reflected off him like as if he was encased with a defense magic shield.

"Wow, that was wicked Kuroko!" Kawahara yelled from behind.

He turned to look and then back at Kagami.

"Kagami-san, use fire. Since it dwells in the trees!" Kuroko called out. Suddenly from behind Kagami, a magic circle was once seen and a fire elemental appeared from it. The three also rushed into battle. They would not let Kagami hogged all the glory after all.

"Flame sword! Asura's wrath!" Kagami yelled as he unleashed flames that coated his sword and surroundings and sliced down at the corrupted tree. The elemental did the same and the others defended the branches.

The demon struggled as it crawled from the ashes and debris, before collapsing.

"Wow that was over-kill…' Fukada laughed.

"To make sure it's really dead, I used one of my strongest moves." Kagami shrugged. He turned to Kuroko, "Oi, you are bleeding! Are you alright?"

"I can use some healing magic." Furihata offered.

It was then silent once more in the forest, until Hyuga and the others came in moments later.

"You have four slips in total." Aida counted as she place them on the table. "However, we have failed to ensure everything should run smoothly so..."

"We will still abide the rules. We only have four, so that's a fail." Kagami muttered.

"Erm." Everyone turned to Kuroko, who had 'mysteriously' appeared beside Aida and they got a shock out of their lives.

"Why the hell do you always do that?"

"I've been calling all for your attention." Kuroko replied, sounded slightly offended much to Kagami's surprise.

"We got five." He added on.

"Huh?" The others in his team chorused together.

Kuroko from his pocket, pulled out a rock.

"I caught it…"

Yet what Kagami could all do is to see the small mini human like legs below the rock, still in a running -away motion. Immediately, noise filled the room.

"What's that? It's so gross!"

"Are these human legs?"

"Wha- how could call my creations disgusting?!"

"Ah running… running…. Oh I got a good one! Hyuga, it's rocking away!"

"Shut up!"

* * *

><p>When the last of the sunset faded into the horizons, it was a dark sky, with a few specks of stars. Kuroko leaned on the balcony, feeling the last of the summer wind on his face.<p>

"Why did you do that?"

"Because you were in danger? Luckily, I put the spell mark on that forest squirrel."

His eyes furrowed at the words.

"You want to go up against Akashi-chi, right?" The voice continued.

"All of you. Including you, Kise-kun." He whispered.

"I don't understand Kuroko-chi sometimes." And that voice faded.

"I…" He paused. "It's my duty. A promise from a long lost dream."

A… repayment.

Even at the cost of his life. He touched the bandage on his head.

* * *

><p><strong> Please review if possible!<strong>


	9. Chapter 8: Aida's cooking

**Thank you for your constant reviews! As well as follows and favorites.**

**Now just take note that the story will be too predictable and draggy if I followed the anime/manga style, from here on, there will be a few twist here and there! Please enjoy. This is mostly a gag chapter? I hope you start to see Kuroko's character development here hahaha. I need to focus on my Kagami more ehhehe. **

* * *

><p>"Alright, we gather all of you today for one reason." Aida raised her finger and pointing to the group. "The tournament is starting in a month. Until then, we have to work really hard."<p>

She smiled, in which the rest felt a short yet sharp chill striking down their spines. Kagami turned to the window. Crap, it's not winter yet… Scratch that, there's a beautiful blazing sun outside. It was definitely not because of weather when he felt the chill so it must be…

He laughed coldly.

Even Kuroko made an uncomfortable face. That was definitely that ire in the air.

* * *

><p>"I don't understand, why do us people who practice in support magic have to run as well?" Hyuga muttered as he panted, but Aida had heard it. Somehow, she had managed to get them to do laps around the forest.<p>

"Oh because you need to run away for your life if anything happens." Aida laughed, but it was somewhat devious.

"Mitobe says it works like an escape technique!" Koganei shouted from the back as Hyuga mentally slapped himself. He shouldn't have said too much, there was a feeling that Aida had just started and she was going to increase the number of runs.

Kagami turned to Kuroko, who was lagging behind slightly. However more surprisingly, he hadn't collapsed yet.

"You alright?" He asked.

"Yes." Kuroko replied as he darted an eye to the female on the sideline, before he turned to look in front again.

* * *

><p>Earlier on, Aida had approached him and invited him for an early morning tea in the guild office.<p>

"Kuroko-kun." She sat back on the coach. "Would you mind telling me about your magic? And more about The Empire?"

"Ah I am a summoner." He replied stoically as per usual. "And my information regarding them is quite… not up to date. I left them a year ago. They would have improved by leaps and bounds."

Aida wasn't really listening after he mentioned 'summoner'. She had her mouth gaping wide and the teacup was trembling in her hands.

"You are what?!"

"Aida-san, please calm down, the whole building may hear you." Kuroko tried to gently sooth her.

"It's confidential." He continued. "So while I am here, I ask of you not to reveal too many details about me as much as possible."

Kuroko was amazed how she bounced back from surprise to serious. "I won't. No way I'm gonna let them know. You are like a living legend." She turned around swiftly, "And when the time comes and wish to talk about your relation with the Empire, we'll be all here to listen to you."

"Huh?" Kuroko made a confused face, his face breaking from his usual expressionless.

"Kagami said you make some sort of painful gaze whenever you talk of them. You really do. So don't force yourself, Kuroko. We are all here to support one another." She chuckled.

When Kuroko looked up, he also saw other Seirin members near the door frame, all giving him bright smiles and thumbs up. He managed a small smile. Those were familiar resemblances in memories.

* * *

><p>Trainings were harsh and the schedule was tightly packed. Luckily, the knight was adapt to harsh conditions. On the other hand, the ones that dealt with magic were exhausted, with the exception of Hyuga surprisingly. He had been complaining quite a bit.<p>

However the worst was yet to come, according to Koganei.

The newcomers silently what was it, until Aida turned up in front of them in an apron. Immediately the seniors paled like paper.

"Since all of you have been working so hard! I decided to make you a meal!"

Well, Hyuga ended up chanting some magic scriptures, izuki muttering some pun about the 'food of death', Mitobe sitting with an abnormal amount of perspiration streaming out, Koganei somewhat in an animated position and Tsuchida writing a will? Now that was awfully strange.

Aida just stood there with an innocent smile.

Kawahara then felt another chill up his spine. This time it felt eerily different.

"I really should have gone to the temple to pray." He whimpered.

Aida presented a plate of what seemed like curry.

"What's that?" Hyuga asked wearily.

"I put plenty of proteins and vitamins for you!" She grinned.

"The plate looks sorta inedible." Furihata laughed nervously. The vegetables were cooked as a whole, and mind him, was that a spikeball (a creature that looks a sea urchin)? Why hadn't she removed the skin? Wait, was that a raw animal leg. He wasn't sure what creature it was, but the fur wasn't cleaned and there was the bloody part of a bone jutting out.

"On Death's plate (door)." Izuki muttered.

"Shut up, Izuki."

(I am so sorry to all readers who are eating.)

"No harm trying it…" Kagami shrugged after a while. They were all handed a plate each and simultaneously they all took a bite.

Kagami swore it was one of the worse decisions he made in life.

That night, the healers from the nearby cathedral ended up being very busy and Kuroko just watched the entire scene.

He somewhat quickly figured Aida's art of cooking, which happened to be extremely similar to someone he knew called Momoi. Not that he would say anything.

* * *

><p>One morning, Kuroko woke up to hear Kagami screaming. He was jolted out of bed, yet in a microsecond, he still kept his emotionless stance. What irony, usually it would be the other way around.<p>

"What happened, Kagami-san?"

"N-Nothing…"

Kuroko blinked twice before replying. "Your face says you are."

"It's alright, I got everything under control! As long as that stupid woman doesn't come." In his hand waved a letter with a word "Alex" on it. When Kuroko focused his attention on the other, he realized Kagami was on the brim of pulling out his hair.

It took an hour for Kagami to calm down.

Now Kuroko became increasingly curious about this 'Alex'.

"Kagami-san, is this lady your…" Before he finished his statement, a spell slip appeared in front of him, stating that Seirin's guild demanded an emergency meeting.

Aida looked at everyone solemnly before she announced, "We received contact from one of our senior members. Apparently, he issued a rescue mission. Apparently it seems that current village he is residing had encountered some strange phenomena. They are enshrouded in a mist and whoever goes in the mist, just went missing."

"Ah the nice handiwork of a demon."Kagami breathed. "Always lurking and hiding."

"There were no human body remains?" Kuroko suddenly voiced out, much to surprise of the others.

"No…" Aida replied, "Just vanished into thin air.

"Then…" Kuroko looked at them.

"It is not the work of a demon." Hyuga continued, "Am I right?"

"Yes."

* * *

><p><strong> Please review ! Thank you!<strong>

**And uh... duh duh duh..! (sucks at piano.) **

**You know what, nevermind.**


End file.
